We recently spent an hour with Dr Colin Stanford, Chair of Concord’s Board of Trustees, who told us how he came to be Concord's doctor, the work of the College's trustees and his hopes for the future.

Q) What were you like as a student? Would you have made a good Concordian?

“I went to a rural grammar school and most of my peers were from farming families who did not have aspirations to leave farming. When I went to the Headmaster to tell him I wanted to be a medic he said ‘no-one has asked before’! Luckily, my family was very supportive, even though none of them had been to medical school.

“I was Head Boy, but I was not as interested in academic lessons as Concordians today. In fact, my best experiences at school were mountaineering in the Cairngorms, Brecon Beacons and Lake District where I indirectly learned some useful leadership skills.”

Q) When did your relationship with Concord start?

“In 1989 I was a young doctor, recently appointed as a GP (General Practitioner) at the Much Wenlock and Cressage Medical Practice. One of my first tasks in the role was to visit Concord once a week, at 8am, to see any students needing to consult a doctor.

“There was no medical room back then, so I had to see students in the Board Room. There wasn’t much privacy, so you can imagine what it was like.

“There were only around 240 students in the College and there was a lovely sense of community, as there still is. Gradually medical expectations grew and I took on all the liaison between the medical practice and Concord. The practice employed a nurse who ran some clinics on campus. Later on, Concord started to employ its own nurse and today, of course, there are a number of nurses working from dedicated medical rooms.”

Q) What are the most notable changes you have seen on campus over the last 37 years?

“There have been many impressive building projects, new schools in China and Malaysia, increasingly outstanding academic achievements and rising rankings in league tables, of course. What may surprise today’s students is how cyber security, personal safety, health and wellbeing and the high standard of pastoral care are taken much more seriously now than they were 30 years ago.

“Some things have not changed. There is the same impressive setting, the historically important Parliament Barn and our fantastic international community. There have been three Principals since I first came to Concord. Although they have brought different skills to reflect the conditions we operate in, they have all been inspirational and passionate educationalists.”

Q) How did you come to be invited to join the Board of Trustees?

“I was the College’s GP for 28 years until I retired in 2017. The following year Concord approached me to join the Board of Trustees.

“I didn’t know what being a trustee meant at first and quickly discovered trustees have collective responsibility to act as governors and basically oversee the running of the school. While they are not ‘hands on’ and do not take day to day decisions, they act as critical friends; listening to what is going on, asking pertinent questions and being a sounding board for the Senior Management Team. At the heart of everything, the Board’s relationship with the Principal and the Bursar is very important.

“When selecting trustees, the board looks to recruit people with a wide range of expertise. I’d been involved in training doctors in the medical practice so was involved in education as a GP. I think that experience made the Board think I would be a useful addition.”

Q) What persuaded you to accept the invitation?

“It wasn’t a difficult decision. I admired the values of the college, I liked the fact that it is local to where I live and I thought it would be an interesting challenge. I felt it was the sort of place that if you came up with a good idea, they would say yes.”

Q) You became the Chair of Trustees in 2023 when Dr Iain Bride stepped down. That year also marked the 40th anniversary of Concord becoming a trust. Looking to the future, what do you think are going to be the biggest challenges for schools like Concord?

“Independent schools are often considered as businesses, but in fact the majority, like Concord, are charities. As trustees we have to protect the charitable intentions of the school and make sure than any surplus funds are reinvested back into the school to improve its facilities and employ the best staff.

“Old schools like Eton (which was founded almost 600 years ago) have legacies whereby a large number of people have donated funds over the years. However, as a relatively new school, Concord doesn’t have that advantage.

“The economic conditions we are operating in today have changed a lot in recent years. Here in the UK we now have 20% VAT on fees which is a barrier to some people who would otherwise have opted for an independent education, and the economic conditions in some countries are affecting recruitment there.

“Looking towards the future we will have to find a way to continue to build and share the unique values of Concord here and abroad whilst keeping fees affordable. My personal ambition would be to find a way to support more children who do not have the financial means to have a Concord education.”